What is an Online Public School?

Georgia Cyber Academy offers the benefits of a brick and mortar school from the comfort of your own home.

Students access lessons and live classes via an online learning management system.

Parents and students are partnered with certified teachers who instruct and guide student progress and achievement. In the virtual classroom, students participate in real-time, direct instruction from their teachers.

During the school day, parents provide support and guidance to their student while in the comfort of their own home.

Georgia Cyber Academy is a 100% tuition-free, online, accredited, Georgia public charter school for students in grades K-12.

How it Works

Grades K-5

We partner parents and students with a certified teacher to guide and track their progress and achievement through the curriculum. Students participate in teacher-led, direct instruction in the virtual classroom. Students are also provided with a schedule which outlines daily online lessons to complete, virtual class sessions to attend, and other graded assignments to complete. Students in K-5 require a high level of daily Learning Coach support and guidance.

Student-to-student interaction is emphasized, too, so GCA students are provided with a variety of opportunities for in-person social activities and engagement including opportunities for in-person community partner events.

Who is this intended for?

The Georgia Cyber Academy program serves students in grades K–5 who reside within the state of Georgia.

What are the costs?

Because we are part of the public school system, GCA is tuition-free. Enrolled families receive a complete curriculum. Common household items and office supplies like printer ink and paper are not provided.

How do I get started?

See our Enrollment  page for more information.

Grades 6-8

In middle school, due dates are assigned to lessons to encourage consistent, steady progress for academic success. Attending teacher-led, direct-instruction, online synchronous class sessions, along with completing coursework, will assist with student success. Middle school teachers work with families to ensure students are progressing academically as expected. To achieve success, it’s in the student’s best interest to follow the pacing schedule that’s assigned by each teacher.

Who is this intended for?

Students in grades 6–8 who reside within the state of Georgia are eligible to attend GCA for middle school.

What are the costs?

Because we are part of the public school system, the GCA middle school program is tuition-free. Enrolled families receive a complete curriculum. Common household items and office supplies like printer ink and paper are not provided.

How do I get started?

See our  Enrollment  page for more information.

Grades 9-12

High School at GCA is an experience like no other. Students can enjoy an individualized high school program tailored to their goals and abilities.

GCA high school students receive many benefits, including:

Outstanding curriculum
Individualized Learning Plan for each student that charts a course for success during and after high school
Personalized support for them and their families from the teachers, counselors, coordinators, and other education personnel
Extracurricular clubs and activities
In-person teacher-led and school-sponsored community partner events where they can connect with their peers
Dual Enrollment options
Work-based learning opportunities
CTAE pathways
Graduation Weekend festivities for graduating seniors

Who is this intended for?

Students in grades 9–12 who reside within the state of Georgia are eligible to attend GCA for high school.

What are the costs?

Because we are part of the public school system, the GCA high school program is tuition-free. Enrolled families receive a complete curriculum. Common household items and office supplies like printer ink and paper are not provided.

How do I get started?

See our  Enrollment  page for more information.

Parent Involvement

The Learning Coach

A student’s success with online education is directly related a Learning Coach’s involvement. Learning Coaches are typically parents or guardians of students but can also be other adults working on behalf of parents and guardians.

While school faculty and staff support student learning, there is still a need for support and guidance from an adult who is physically present with the student to supervise and monitor progress throughout the school day and year. Most frequently the Learning Coach is a parent, but it can also be a tutor or other designated adult responsible for the student’s day-to-day learning supervision. Parents are asked to identify the designated Learning Coach, who faculty and staff will communicate with throughout the school year.

The primary duties of the learning coach are to:

enter their student’s attendance
read and respond to school communications, paperwork requests, and surveys
keep contact information up to date
Monitor their student’s assignment completion, grades, class attendance and participation
communicate with their student’s teacher and Family Success Liaison (FSL) whenever they feel that a student is struggling or needs additional support.

Supervision and Monitoring

A critical component for a student to be successful in a virtual educational setting is that they have proper adult supervision throughout the school day. A GCA teacher is not physically able to provide supervision in an online educational environment, therefore there must be a dedicated adult performing that supervisory role when a student is enrolled at GCA. That adult must:

provide consistent academic oversight
monitor the student’s academic performance daily
ensure that the student attends all required classes
hold the student accountable for completing assignments and tests on time
maintain consistent communication with GCA staff and administrators
maintain updated contact information with the school.

Whether a student is in kindergarten or high school, they still need consistent oversight and direction to be academically successful. We find that students without this consistent adult oversight struggle to grow academically and often fall further and further behind in their academic skills and knowledge.

KNOWAtlanta Interview

We recently sat down with KNOWAtlanta to share some insight into how we serve out students. Read the questions below to find out more!

Why is virtual learning a good option for today's students?

There are various reasons that make virtual education a good option for many families depending on their situation or preferences. Students at Georgia Cyber Academy receive individualized educational support and pacing to better meet them where they are on their personal learning paths. Virtual learning offers a more flexible option for them to be able to complete their education. Some families may want more control over their students’ educational environment, peers or outside influences for safety, faith-based or cultural reasons. Other parents want to be more involved in their children’s education, spend more time with them or develop a closer bond during the most impressionable years. There are really so many reasons why virtual learning may be a better fit than a more traditional educational setting.

How does GCA design its curriculum for K-12 students?

Our team vets and researches curriculum and technological tools constantly in order to provide the most engaging educational experience possible. We start with a curriculum that meets or exceeds the Georgia Standards of Excellence and then look for tools that are the most engaging and provide the best educational outcomes for students. One advantage of a virtual environment is that we can change tools fairly quickly if a new or better tool or curriculum becomes available; we are not locked into a curriculum choice for three to five years. We can also add or delete based on the data received for a given grade level or subject.

How do you help students adjust to the web-based learning model?

We have a team of nearly a hundred Family Success Liaisons that provide a touchstone for parents. They are there to facilitate communication, answer questions, provide advice and offer positive encouragement for families. They are essentially our families’ cheerleaders, and once assigned, they stay with the family throughout their tenure with GCA. This allows for closer relationships, provides for better student advocates and creates a sense of consistency from year to year. We also have developed Strong Start orientation modules for new students and Stay Strong modules for returning families. Our educational model is not static, so even our returning families benefit by going through the modules that we provide prior to the start of the new school year.

How do you determine success for your students?

As a virtual school, we are very data driven and have many data points to rely on when determining student success. We administer assessments that measure student academic growth over a period of time and other tools that indicate mastery of standards at a given point in time. There are also the state Milestones assessments and end-of-the-year subject and course averages. We believe that at least three data points need to be available to accurately determine academic growth, mastery and proficiency. In the end, if a student improves and grows a full year or more in academic proficiency, then we have been successful in providing a strong academic foundation for that student. If, in addition to that, a student increases in confidence, develops a strong sense of self, finds their passion for learning, is kind and grows to be a positive contributor to society, then that is when we can say we have been truly successful.

How do you build a feeling of community among your students?

That is something we work on constantly and probably is the most difficult area to address. We have virtual and in-person field trips, face-to-face events and outing days, virtual honors celebrations, lunch chats, virtual clubs, academic competitions and service learning projects. We are also exploring e-sports and may add this program in the years to come. Parents also connect with other parents through online forums organized by parent leaders. Through these communication channels, parents can plan meetups and events with other enrolled families.

What sets GCA apart?

We are working to integrate the best of what a physical brick-and-mortar school provides with the flexibility and individualization that a virtual educational environment can offer. Despite economic circumstances, where a student resides, personal challenges and individual needs, students have the opportunity to close academic gaps, charge ahead of their peers, access advanced and technical courses and participate in dual enrollment and work-based learning programs from the comfort of their home. Quite simply, we provide completely equitable educational opportunities for all Georgia students.

Looking for more answers? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Is Virtual School Right for Your Child?

GCA Assistant Principal, Jennifer K. Hale, shares key information you should consider if you thinking about virtual schooling as an option for your child. View her article published by the Georgia Center for Opportunity here: Help! Should I Choose Virtual School for My Child?

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Breadcrumb

What is an Online Public School?

How it Works

Grades K-5

Grades 6-8

Grades 9-12

Parent Involvement

Why is virtual learning a good option for today's students?

How does GCA design its curriculum for K-12 students?

How do you help students adjust to the web-based learning model?

How do you determine success for your students?

How do you build a feeling of community among your students?

What sets GCA apart?

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